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The Once & Future Podcast is a weekly book-centric podcast for readers and writers alike that focuses on all things fantasy and science fiction, talking with today's hottest authors about their books, writing, and general geekery.

Last night I went to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the newest film set in J.K. Rowling's world of Harry Potter. I went into the movie without many expectations. I loved the Harry Potter books and films, but this was a bit different, with all new characters, and was based on a tiny book that was an encyclopedia of magical critters. I've seen movies like that before, and to say I wasn't impressed would be an understatement. I went into the movie with cautious optimism. Straight away I found the movie enjoyable, and was formulating my review while I watched, trying to find the right words for what I felt. In short, watching this movie was a joyful escape from the real world of the past few months for me. The film surprised me with how good it was, and was full of wonderful characters, special effects that were amazing, and a storyline that I think a lot of people old and young can relate to. It reminded me why I loved magic. It reminded me why I had fallen in love with the Harry Potter franchise to begin with.

But then as the movie went on, as we got to see and know the character of Newt Scamander better, I became thoroughly enchanted. Something about him just made my heart swell. Something struck me about him, but I couldn't articulate it until about halfway through the movie.

The way he made fleeting eye contact with people, if he made it at all...

The slightly awkward way he dealt with people, social. The way he misread some social situations...

The kind way he treated animals, the way he seemed to understand them more than he did people...

The way he spoke, the somewhat expressionless flat effect he tended to have at times...

His blunt, matter-of-fact way of putting things...

The way it seemed like he never gave a thought to how he looked in front of others when he was caring for his creatures or trying to keep them safe, when he was doing what was best for them...

The way he opened his heart generously to people he barely knew, calling them friend...

The way he said, bluntly, that he doesn't have many friends because he annoys people...

The way he was so very sensitive to creatures and people alike, the way he related to them in a way that most people don't. The way it seemed he empathized with people too much at times...

If you follow me on social media, chances are you know my fourteen year old son is autistic. He is a very high functioning sort, crazy intelligent, but has a lot of quirks that make social life a bit difficult for him. He proves an enigma to his team of caretakers, because he is so smart and sensitive, yet has a hard time having a conversation sometimes unless it's about something he's comfortable with. He doesn't notice the world around him as much as he gets consumed by the moment, place, creatures, and people that are in his focus. He wants to be a wildlife rehabilitator when he grows up, because he feels a special connection to creatures, who don't judge him, who . Over the years we have worked hard on eye contact, so my son does fairly well with it, but many times if you talk to him he will start off with that slightly tilted-head askance look...

Just like Newt Scamander.

I haven't done any research into this to see if Newt's quirks were intentional on the part of writer Rowling or director Yates. I don't know if they deliberately gave him these quirks, or if it's just a coincidence, because really, it's not addressed in the movie. But when I realized that I was watching an older version of my son on the big screen, when I saw the loving way he dealt with his creatures, and the accepting way other characters interacted with him, I got weepy. When I saw him become a hero, when I watched as he comforted another character who had been rejected and hurt... It gave me a sense of hope I hadn't felt in a while. It's not that I felt hopeless before, but when you find yourself adjusting to new realities all the time with new diagnoses and new developments as your child gets older, it's very easy to lose sight of the big picture, it's hard to see what the future will hold. Some days, it feels like everything is so much in the present that there is no future, that you can't plan for things because..what does the future look like when every day holds a special challenge?

Fantastic Beasts and Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Newt Scamander gave me a glimpse of a future with my son. They showed me that a person like my son can be a hero, can fall in love (though we don't know very much about this yet!), can make friends in his own way. And most importantly, that there are people out there who will be friends with him back, who will accept him for who he is, and who won't label him. That life and adventure happens no matter who you are.

That there is hope.

There is nothing easy about being the parent of an autistic child. My son is amazing, creative, sensitive, ingenious, and surprises me in good ways every single day. But every day, too, has it's challenges, and there are nights I lie awake worrying about what will become of him. What if I get sick? Will he be OK when he grows up? Will people be there for him? Will he have a life that is good for him? Fantastic Beasts may be fiction, but it helped me to see that even though life will be challenging, that there is life. That people can be different and still be OK. That my son will be OK.

One of my favorite scenes of the movie was at the end, the scene with Newt and Tina. Their last exchange of the movie felt so genuine to me, especially as Newt sort of struggled with the proper things to say, the proper way to conduct that conversation (with my son, conversations are very conscious things. They don't happen naturally as with typical people. We actually have to practice "conversation volleys," back and forth discussion. We have to practice how to read people's expressions and reactions.). And it really made a huge impact on me, the way Tina accepted the conversation as it was. She didn't laugh. She didn't say, "Oh, Newt." She wasn't dismissive, she didn't roll her eyes. She talked to him like he was a real, adult person. I can't express precisely how this made make me feel. Because whether or not all of this was intentional by the movie creators, whether Newt was just supposed to be shy or awkward for other reasons, he was a gift to people like my son and the thousands of other people like him in the world. And to their parents. And that, in part, is the point. You can't tell if Newt is autistic or is shy or awkward or has PTSD or...anything exactly...because he is NEWT, and he is not labeled. He is who he is, and that is enough. It has nothing to do with the plot or the story, it's not something that needs to be overcome--this is who Newt is.

So what am I thankful for this holiday season? I'm thankful that my son will be able to watch a movie with a hero he can relate to, who isn't defined by his differences. That he can relate to a character without that character's differences being a talking point of the film, that differences don't have to be so on the nose, in your face. That he doesn't have to worry about people always labeling him first before they enjoy his company. Millions of people will enjoy Newt Scamander's company this week, and most might not even see what I saw in him. Most people will see a caring and sensitive wizard who is on an adventure, who has allies and enemies, and who fights for what he believes. Most people will just accept Newt Scamander for who he is and not give it a second thought.

And that, I think, is the true magic of this fantastic movie.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She is a blogger at The Once and Future Podcast, a professional author publicist, and associate publisher for Ragnarok Publications. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.